Lullaby | The Mandalorian

Chapter Nine: what the f*ck is up your a** today, you little rager?

Two standard days passed on that planet.

Mando hunted, and Annelise stayed put – per orders, because it was just easier that way. Neither talked much again, the silence had returned – though not as uncomfortable as it had been before. It was as if they had both acknowledged the existence of this thing. They knew it existed and while neither was particularly happy about it – it was there. Annelise minded her own business...mostly. She still had questions, of course, but she figured that was just the way things were now that they had acknowledged this weird thing. Some days she felt like they should have just ignored it. That day was another one of those days – when she said nothing about it...Even though she had pushed to talk about it. It seemed fruitless. Mando was a brick wall – and offered few answers.

Annelise stopped pushing and he didn't kiss her again. Not since the hot spring.

It was late on the second night that he got back – and she had already laid down in the bed with the baby. Her back was facing the door when she saw it slide open – the shadow of his armor crawling over the wood, broad shoulders there...And she laid perfectly still – closing her eyes then to feign sleep...Though she heard the footsteps get closer and closer...Until he was there – she knew. Standing above her, and her eyes opened...blinking at the shadow that was over her shoulder, just standing there. One might have considered it frightening having a Mandalorian stand above them whilst they slept, though she was more perplexed than anything, until a gloved hand flattened itself on the back of her neck and he leaned – only slightly...To speak quietly as if not to wake the baby – rough in the back of his throat...

"Hey," It was like he was warning her, "I'm back."

It was kind of nice, the gesture. Telling her he had gotten back safely. Annelise nodded mutely, and the hand removed itself from the back of her neck and he moved away – going to the refresher and shutting the door.

Annelise had laid awake a long time after that. Sometimes she forgot how kind a touch could be, even if the glove was there. She had longed for touch as a child, appreciating the nannies that had been soft with her. Hating her mother and father for their roughness. But longing for their affection all the same. Sometimes she worried she was reverting to such longing when it came to Mando. Wishing someone hard and cold could be soft for her, but then again – he was not like them.

He was different, even if he didn't think so. He saw himself as cruel – and she had once viewed him as such, but then he had shown her other times...He was not that.

Still.

Their second full day on the planet, Annelise had woken alone and had prepared herself and Grogu for the day alone. She wrapped herself in a coat that the old woman at the hostel had offered her, and she wrapped Grogu in a blanket before putting him in the sling on her chest. He seemed more than happy to go out, they had spent most of their time inside the hostel on the orders of Mando, but he had left before his daily order to stay inside – so Annelise was going to take that as permission to go. If not, she would feign ignorance, citing his lack of a reminder as cause for disobedience.

She was not ignorant to why she annoyed him.

The town itself offered very little to do – but Annelise had been eyeing nearby walking trails. And a walk seemed nice, especially when they were living in the ship most of the time so she opted for that. Annelise left the town, moving upward – towards the dirt path and she looked at the baby, who she had turned to face forward so that he could see, still strapped to her chest. He stretched his fingers out wide and cooed, and Annelise smoothed his ears down, humming, "Do you get to go on many walks?"

She paused, as if he would answer, which she did often. Sometimes the baby was the only person she had to talk to anymore.

"Probably not, right," Annelise responded quietly.